Articles of furniture such as coffee tables and ottomans have been known in the prior art prior to the conception and development of the present invention. However, as is equally well known, most all of these articles of furniture have been marketed as a separate piece of furniture.
Many rooms in various residences, particularly efficiency apartments and hotel rooms, do not have enough space to have each of these articles of furniture and, therefore, must choose between the particular piece of furniture which will serve the most use in the space allowed. For example, some may wish to have a place to put food and beverages while watching television, while others may want a place to support their legs while enjoying watching television or talking on the phone.
On the other hand, the known prior art type convertible units require rather complex mechanisms for changing from one use to another. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,597,199; 6,174,026; 6,133,182 and 4,031,831.